Original subtitles

When people finish their day and hurry home,

my day starts.

My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning.

They call it "Midnight Diner."

Do I even have customers?

More than you would expect.

It was such a thrill watching you.

I love the way your skin glistened with sweat under the light.

You looked like you were sparkling.

Exactly! You shine like a star, Kirari.

Was that a dad joke? That's so funny!

You like it?

Kirari, hold that expression.

Like this? Okay.

-You're too close. -Go away, Mr. Chu.

-Here you go. -I said you're too close.

Who's that?

Why are they so excited?

That's Kirari, a new dancer at Shinjuku New Art.

They're completely infatuated with her.

But they were Marilyn's loyal fans before this.

Won't she get mad?

Marilyn's on tour in Macao right now.

She won't be back so soon.

Mr. Chu, you're in the shot.

-Very nice. -Oh, I know!

Let's have a Girls' Generation karaoke session!

-I'll pay for our meal. -Let's go!

-You'll pay for the karaoke. -But I already paid for our tickets today.

I want to hear you sing Keiko Fuji's songs.

-What? Who's that? -Get our things.

Mr. Chu, wait for me.

See you around!

These drunkards...

-Mr. Chu! You forgot this! -Can't they keep it down?

Hello.

You're drunk again.

Your son will be worried.

Don't lecture me.

Clams steamed with sake and a bottle of sake.

Sure.

Your sake tastes like water.

Good sake tastes like water when you're drunk.

You're not fooling anyone. This is just cheap sake.

Here, have a drink.

Thanks, but I'm already on my third beer.

Are you serious? You're a grown man.

If you want to drink, don't let anyone stop you.

Youngsters these days are spineless wimps.

It's a silly rule and you know it.

I see. I get it now.

My sake isn't good enough for you.

No, that's not what I meant.

Whatever. I'll just drink alone.

Another one.

You can only have three bottles of sake here.

Come on. I should be allowed to drink to my death if I want to.

Give me another bottle.

Knock it off, old hag.

You can't even drink. Who are you to lecture me?

You're useless.

Excuse me?

Look at him. I've failed as a mother.

Shut up. I'm taking care of you now, you know.

-What? No, you're not. -Come on.

Sorry for the trouble.

-I didn't cause any trouble. -It's fine.

I watered down her sake today, as usual.

-Put me down! -We're going.

-I want another drink. -Are you serious?

-Go home and sleep. -I don't want to.

Go that way.

-Knock it off. -That's Ms. Oren and her son.

They bicker all the time, but they don't mean it.

We're going home.

You're a wrinkled bag of liver spots.

You're an old hag now.

You're one to talk. Have you looked in the mirror?

I thought you were asleep.

I'd stop drinking right away

if I had a grandchild or two.

You have it backwards.

No one will want to marry a middle-aged man like me

when they see I have an alcoholic mother.

You're hopeless.

What's the point of your cooking skills if you have no one to cook for?

Get ready.

Put both fists in front of you. Now pull your right hand back.

-Straight punch, middle level. -Yes, sir!

-Focus! -Yes, sir!

One,

two,

three...

Five,

six,

seven,

eight.

Make sure you pull your elbow back. Go on, try it.

We'll practice blocking and countering next.

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

Put your supporters on.

Is everything all right there?

Line up and take turns.

All right boys, order whatever you want.

Thanks, Master.

I really appreciate you doing this on a rest day for us.

Don't worry about it.

I like having kids in the diner.

It's a nice change of pace.

-I want a Hamburg steak! -I want a steak!

Okay, one at a time.

What about you?

I'm good.

I have to lose a few pounds to keep my reflexes.

I see.

-What did you order? -You ordered ramen too?

I can't wait.

This is really good.

-It's delicious. -Yes.

Thank you for the food.

-Thank you! -You're welcome.

-Let's go. -Wait.

-What is it? -Wait, don't go yet.

-There we go. -What are those?

A full house today, Master?

I brought the things you asked for. Go on, take it.

The new punching bag is already in the dojo.

Wow, thanks.

Listen, about the payment...

It's okay, you can pay me when you have the money.

-Sorry. -Come on, don't look so glum.

You should get going. It's time to train.

-See you. -All right.

-Let's go. -Yes, sir!

Bye.

Can I have a drink?

But you're driving, right?

It's fine. My wife will pick me up.

Oh, really?

Jo picks up his mother.

Your wife picks you up.

Come on, don't be mean.

I have my own troubles too.

My wife and my mother don't get along.

I need a beer.

-All right. -Thanks.

His dojo is doing well now,

but he worries about his mother. She won't stop drinking.

-She isn't in the best of health. -Exactly.

He told me he has to save as much as he can

in case his mother needs it in the future.

Don't tell Jo I told you, okay?

I won't.

Master, listen.

Can you believe it?

Jo used to be bullied as a kid.

Really?

He was built like an ox, but just as slow and a crybaby to boot.

No one wanted to play with him.

One day, he went to the park and climbed the jungle gym on his own.

He spaced out and lost his footing.

Jo!

Jo!

Mom.

Who did this to you?

I'll kill them, right this instant!

He picked up karate after that.

You should have seen the way he practiced every day.

I don't blame him.

His mother was ready to commit murder.

When he won the national championships,

we apologized to him.

"We"?

The group who bullied him.

You were part of it?

Jo immediately forgave us.

He was so much more mature than the rest of us.

We've been friends ever since.

That was a beautiful story.

You can have a drink on me.

Here you go.

It smells wonderful.

You should have gone with your mother.

You can't be serious.

I already have to babysit her.

A vacation with that old hag? No thanks.

I do feel sorry for asking my aunt to go with her.

She doesn't drink as much if she has someone to talk to.

Mr. Jo.

Yes?

I know this isn't any of my business,

but I think you should take her to the hospital for a checkup.

I know.

But she doesn't want to go.

If she wants to drink that badly,

who am I to stop her?

That's how I see it, anyway.

She's had a hard life.

My father bankrupted his factory and ran off with another woman.

Loan sharks harassed us for money every day.

My mother spent most of her time apologizing to them.

And then...

My mother took me to the beach one day, without saying why.

There was no one else around.

We kept walking.

I began to complain about my aching feet.

So we went to a nearby diner,

and my mother ordered this dish.

I ended up having three bowls of it.

I wanted a fourth bowl,

but my mother would have none of it.

It must have been really delicious.

That was the first time I had clams steamed with sake.

When I grew up, my mother finally told me the truth.

"You looked so happy eating the clams...

I decided not to die."

Your mother...

always orders clams steamed with sake.

Wait.

This is on the house.

Thanks, Master.

This was how I ate it, back then.

After that,

Mr. Jo continued to carry his mother home whenever she passed out from drinking.

It wasn't long before her excessive drinking landed her in the hospital.

DINER

Sorry, I'm not open yet.

Hey.

Welcome back.

It's been a while.

It's all your fault, Mr. Chu.

You hogged the mic halfway through the karaoke session.

I hope Marilyn returns soon.

Kirari dumped both of you?

We tossed paper tape and clapped in time with the music,

but she didn't even look at us.

She doesn't know any of the classic songs from the Showa era.

She's boring.

She doesn't understand the subtleties of life.

The Aegean Sea can be seen from between the legs of the dancer

as she mourns for bygone happiness.

A man's road leads all the way to Rome.

Don't get ahead of yourself in life.

Welcome.

-Hello. -Hey.

The old hag is actually enjoying her stay in the hospital.

She swaggers about the place like she owns it.

I'm not surprised.

And she's completely sober.

It looks like she got over her alcohol addiction in the hospital.

She won't be an inconvenience to you now.

Do you know why she quit drinking?

Tell me.

Jo got together with his mother's nurse.

His mother is really excited about it.

We'll have to celebrate that next week,

along with your mother's recovery.

You don't have to do that, Master.

But it's a good idea.

My mother would like that.

-It's the perfect excuse. -What?

You should invite the nurse too.

Don't tease me.

-Amazing! -Amazing!

Master, I'm so sorry!

It's fine.

The nurse fell for him after she saw him do that.

He swept her off her feet.

Stop it already.

-Hey, watch it! -Sorry.

It looks like you put your skills to good use.

I sure did.

Mr. Jo's late.

He said he'll drop by the beach on his way here.

Maybe he's stuck in traffic.

I bet he's having fun on the beach.

I'll call him.

Good idea.

-He wouldn't do that. -Maybe he's swimming?

-Speaking of the sea... -That would be hilarious.

Who else wants a second glass of juice?

-Me! -Me!

What is it? What happened?

The nurse he's seeing picked up the phone.

She said Jo was in a car accident.

His mother walked away with only a few scratches,

but Jo ruptured his organs trying to protect her.

They're taking him to the operating room.

Doctor!

You can take all my organs.

-Just save him, please! -Don't worry, we've got this.

Hey, you.

If he dies,

I'll kill you.

Ms. Oren's threats were effective.

Three months later,

her son made a full recovery, much to the relief of his students.

Congratulations on your recovery.

Thanks for the concern, I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

I'm just glad you made it out alive.

-There you go. -Thanks.

Here. A gift from me to celebrate your recovery.

You can't have clams steamed with sake without a cup of sake on the side.

I still can't believe it.

You can finally hold your alcohol now after the surgery.

And just when I'd finally quit drinking.

He's useless.

Shut up, old hag.

I hope you kick the bucket soon.

What was that?

That's bad karma, young man.

The nurse dumped him, you know.

Hey!

You promised you wouldn't bring that up.

Have you considered my feelings?

I was looking forward to finally being rid of you, but you blew it.

That's my line, you old hag.

-You're useless. -Here.

Why did you let her dump you?

Oh, shut up.

Have some soup.

Like mother, like son.

What a strange way of showing their affection for each other.

Clams, so many clams

Wash them first to get rid of the sand

Stir-fry the chili pepper and garlic

Add the clams and sake

Put the lid on

And wait for the clams to open

I love clams steamed with sake

Let's eat it together today

For the finishing touch

Add soy sauce and butter

Sprinkle green onions

Here you go.

And it's done

The soup

-goes on the rice. -goes on the rice.

-Thanks for the food -Thanks for the food

Can I have rice to go with it?

Oh, you!

Good night.

TO BE CONTINUED

THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION.

Subtitle translation by Chen Li Woon